Illuminated curbstone house number



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' cured on the bottom of the box 15.

Patented MayIZSI, 19216..

UNITED STATES PATENT," OFFICE.. i I* JOSEPH M. GAFFNEY, OF S'l1 IAUL, MINNESOTA.

ILLUMINATED CURBSTONE HOUSE NUMBER. i

` Application filed December 2o, 192s, seriaino.y 681,780. Renewed Januaryas, 1926.

My invention relates to devices for displaying house numbersand the object is to provide a novel, efficient and inexpensive device for illuminating house numbers particularly at or near the curb in front of a house for the purpose of enabling pedestrians and other persons to readily locate a house they are looking for. The device when installed at houses along any street obviates the need of any one stepping up close to several houses to read the numbers thereon particularly on poorly lighted streets.

In the accompanying drawing:

Fig. 1 is a top view of a portion of a house (in section) set back from the sidewalk, a curb parallel to the sidewalk and one of my devices installed at the curb.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged top view of the number box of my device.

Fig. 3 is a sectional elevation on line 3 3 in Fig. 2. i i

Fig. L t is a modification of Fig. 2.

Fig. 5 is a modification of one of the number indicating plates used in my device.

Referring to the drawing by reference numerals, 6 is a; front wall of a house which for descriptive purposes is shown as built back some distance from the curb 7 and sidewalk 8 of a street 9 there be-ing a lawn 16 between the house and the sidewalk. 11 is the front door of the house in front of which is a stoop 12 from which a walk 13 leads to the curb 7. There may be a boulevard 14 between the sidewalk and the curb.V

i The main part of my device consists of a box 15 preferably made of concrete and having a removable metal cover 16 which is slightly larger than the top of the box and is recessed at 16 to fit the inner sides of the box. Said cover has a number of apertures 17 each with arperimetral flange or ledge 17X adapted to support a removable number plate. 18 lilluminated by one or more electric light bulbs 19 in a socket 2O suitably se- The number of apertures in the cover and the corresponding' number of plates 18 will of course. vary according to the number of the house. I have illustrated only7 three numbers.

The box 15 is preferably placed adjoining the curb 6 (See Fig..1) and set, deep enough in the ground so that `the'top of cover 16 is flush with the surface of boulevard 14 or the Walk 13 as the case may be. Circuit wires are run under ground from the socket 2O to a source of electric current 22 and apush buttonswitch 23 preferably located near the front door 11 kof the house (see Fig. 1). Thus occupants of the house can'switch on the lights and illuminate the house numbery at the curb. rIt is apparent that the numbers can be readily seen either by pedestrians or persons in vehicles on the street. y

Many types of illuminable numbers may be used. In Figs. 2 and 3 I- have shown rectangular glass pieces 24 laid on the ledges 17X and adapted to support metal plates 25 in which the numbers are cut out as 3, 7 and 5. The cut out parts of the metal plates maybe filled with transparent pieces 25 of either plain 'or fancy colors andset with any suitable kind of cement. In Fig. t the apertures 17 are simply provided with single, heavy glass pieces 26 which may be cemented in place. Said pieces 26 may have a dark non-transparent surface with clear glass in thev form of a numeral, three of which show a housey number 402 in Fig.` 11.

The modification Fig. 5 illustrates one quadrangular glass 27 with non-transparent area O indicating a numeral on its under side.

In some installations of the device where it is'preferable to secure the cover 16 permanently I provide an aperture 28 in one end wall of the box, said opening being normally closed by a flangedy frictionally held 'cover plate 29. Thus if it becomes necessary to replace a bulbv the soil must first be dug away enough to expose the plate 29 which may be pried loose and removed until a new bulb has been put in place, after which the plate should be replaced and the soil packed down.

.I-Iaving thus described my .invention and its use what I claim is: A housenumber indicating device comprising Va housing, a cover therefor, said housing adapted to be permanently set adj acent the curb of astreet in proximity to a house, illuminable numbers in said cover, electric bulbs Within the housing and in an electric circuit and a switch in said circuit, said cover having a number of apertures each with a perimetral ledge, number ndieating means in each aperture comprising` a transparent plate, a non-transparent plate on top of the transparent plate and an o )enlng 1n sald non-transparent plate 1n the orm ot' a number, and colored transparent mate- 10 rial in said opening` of each non-transparent plate.

In testimony whereof I affix my Signature.

JOSEPH M. GAFFNEY. 

